Guinness World Records List

Guinness World Records List

Sir Christopher Lee 1922 -2015: A look back over an incredible record-breaking acting career

Veteran actor and multiple world record holder Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93.

1922

Guinness World Records: Gone Wild! Episode 4 Recap

As discussed in our preview of Thursday night's action, the theme for the latest episode of "Guinness World Records: Gone Wild!" was record attempters using their head. And we meant all of it, from the teeth to the breath to the forehead and more.Some people realized their dreams and others came nowhere close. Time now to recap all the action you may have missed from Thursday night on truTV:Most watermelons crushed with the head in one minuteThe first attempt of the evening introduced us to a man who went simply by the name Trizzie D. Trizzie, a self-admittedly eccentric character, planned on using his unique talent of smashing things with his head to attempt the most watermelons crushed with the head in a minute.Photo courtesy truTVAs you can see from the above photo, Trizzie needed to visibly split each melon. But, while he started strongly needing just a single headbutt to crack a melon apart, he fatigued by the end, requiring multiple skull crushes to pierce the rinds. The final result saw the eclectic Mr. D fall 12 shy of the record 43 watermelons needed to make history.Most quarters held in the noseWe've all asked for change of a dollar at some point.But we've never seen somebody answer that request by reaching for their nose.That all changed with Tom Gartin, who attempted to hold the most quarters in the nose. Tom, thanks to abnormally large nostrils and what was called the "stacking technique," was able to hold a total of 14 quarters in the nose for a minimum of 10 seconds for a new world record. The attempt brought Gartin literally to tears as he stuffed the quarters in the nostrils, before he was able to smile on his new place in the record books.Most drink can tops torn off with the teethIn one of the more anticipated events of the night, we were introduced to Canada's Ryan Stock.Stock, we were told, would be ripping off the tops of as many drink cans as he could in one minute -- using his teeth.The attempt continued a long and unique Guinness World Records tradition of opening drink containers in an unorthodox way, including records such as opening beer bottles with the teeth, belly button, and feet.Of course, opening a metal drink can with the teeth can lead to all sorts of complications, but Stock chomped his way to a record 11 cans opened. Watch his cola-drenched attempt here:videoBurping and plunging fail to deliverTwo events in the middle of the show promised high entertainment, but neither attempt came close to setting a record.First, Dan Katz downed a bottle of root beer in order to prepare himself for a go at the longest burp. Unfortunately, despite loosening his belt and coaxing the crowd into complete silence, Katz lasted only a few seconds, falling well short of the record number 1 min 13 sec.After that, Ronald Farnham provided us with perhaps the best backstory of the night. A former CIA agent and member of the U.S. Army, Farnham once won a bet with a friend while cleaning toilets in the service that he couldn't get a plunger to stick to a window 20 feet away. He parlayed that talent into an attempt at the most human targets hit with plungers in one minute, needing to hit 16 for a new record. Farnham fell well short of the target number, but certainly gave us a story to remember.Most hot water bottles burst in one minuteLongtime record-breaker Brian Jackson joined the action next. Jackson, who has held eight different breath-related Guinness World Records titles in his career, attempted his latest feat of trying to burst the most hot water bottles in 60 seconds. All he could use was his breath, blowing into the water bottles until they completely ruptured.Making it look easy -- which is no surprise for a man who once blew up 370 balloons in one hour -- Jackson burst a record-breaking five bottles before time expired.Fastest time to cross a greased poleThe last attempt of the night wasn't even confirmed until moments before it began. That's because it was a brand new, first-time record idea by three Massachusetts friends that required the approval of on-site Guinness World Records adjudicator Stuart Claxton: the fastest time to cross a greased pole.After determining that the idea hit all the Guinness World Records criteria -- namely that it was measurable, standardizable, and verifiable -- for a new record category, the three friends each took their at-times-painful turns.In the end, Joe DaSilva came away a record holder, crossing the treacherous 40-foot pole in a blistering 4.96 seconds. Watch the greasy fun here:videoThere are only two more episodes left this season of "Guinness World Records: Gone Wild!" and who knows what great attempts have been saved for last. One thing's for sure, though, and it's that you don't want to be the person who doesn't find out!Guinness World Records: Gone Wild! airs Thursdays at 8 ET/PT on truTV.Interested in attempting a world record in a future episode? Let us know here.

For many reluctant gardeners, cutting the lawn is a time-consuming chore, but that surely wouldn’t be the case if you had this super-charged grass trimmer built by Honda.Named the Mean Mower, the high-performance garden vehicle has set a new world record for fastest lawnmower, after being driven at an incredible 116mph (187kph).Driven by Top Gear writer Piers Ward for the attempt, the 1000cc 109HP mower’s average speed broke the previous record by almost 30mph.The successful attempt took place at the IDIADA Proving Ground, in Tarragona, Spain, last month.As well as being required to cut grass and look like a lawnmower in order to fully satisfy meet Guinness World Records rules, the mower had to record the same run, in both directions, within an hour – with the average speed taken of both runs. Mean Mower was designed and built in the UK by Honda (UK)’s British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) partner, Team Dynamics. The team re-engineered a Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor from the ground-up, adding an all-new fabricated chassis, custom-made from 4130 chromoly, to provide a strong, safe but very light platform. A 1000cc engine from a Honda VTR Firestorm was used, along with a bespoke suspension and wheels from an ATV.The cutter deck was custom-made in fibre-glass, to reduce weight, while, the grass bag provides a home for the fuel tank, a high capacity oil cooler and a secondary water cooling radiator. The mower can cut grass at around 15mph, thanks to two electric motors on the cutter deck, spinning 3mm steel cutting cable at an incredible 4000rpm - more than double the flat-out speed of the original HF2620 from which it is derived. Based on feedback from Honda Yuasa Racing drivers, three times BTCC champion Matt Neal and reigning champion Gordon Shedden, the mower features a custom-made paddle shift six-speed gear system. Additionally it has a custom-made Cobra sports seat, a Scorpion exhaust system and a steering rack taken from a Morris Minor. The result of this remarkable feat of engineering is a lawn mower set-up and geared to achieve a top speed in excess of 130mph, weighing just 140kgm, producing 96Nm of torque, an incredible PTW ratio of 532bhp/tonne and an estimated 0-60 of just four seconds.Last month’s attempt beat a benchmark of 87.83 mph set by Don Wales while driving the Project Runningblade lawnmower, in Pendine, UK, in May 2010.Speaking after the successful attempt, Honda spokesperson Ellie Ostinelli, said: “The original brief for Mean Mower was to create the world’s fastest lawnmower – and now it officially is, by some distance! We are all delighted to hold a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title and we’d like to thank everyone who was involved in what has been a challenging yet incredibly exciting project.”video

A British man has survived a fall from the 15th floor of a New Zealand apartment block.Tom Stilwell, 20, fell while trying to lower himself onto his Auckland balcony from a neighbour's, which was directly above, in the early hours of Sunday, according to reports. The roof of an adjacent building, some 13 floors below, is reported to have broken his fall and in turn saved his life. However, while Stilwell’s survival story is remarkable, it isn’t the highest fall that someone has survived.Fellow countryman Stuart Jones, from Wellington, holds the record for highest fall survived down a lift shaft, after plummeting 23 storeys, a distance of 70m 229ft 7in whilst carrying out structural work on the roof of a temporary lift car at the Midland Park Building, Wellington, New Zealand in May 1998.Despite surviving, he suffered multiple injuries, including a broken hip, a compound fracture in his left and lower leg, a broken left knee cap and a broken ribThe record for highest fall survived without parachute belongs to Vesna Vulovic (Serbia), who set the unenviable record in 1972, at the age of 23 while working as a Jugoslavenski Aerotransport hostess.Vesna incredibly survived a fall from 10,160 m (33,333 ft) while inside a section of tail unit of the DC-9 she was working aboard after the aircraft blew up in a mid-air explosion over Srbsk, Kamenice, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic).Although Vesna was unbelievably fortunate to still be alive, she emerged from the wreckage far from unscathed, with the impact leaving her in a coma for 27 days, and she remained in hospital for a further 16 months while recovering from multiple broken bones.China has regained the world record for the fastest computer.Tianhe-2, developed by the government-run National University of Defence Technology, operates at 33.86 petaflop/sec, the equivalent of 33,860 trillion calculations per second.It beats the 17.59 petaflop/s performance of Titan, a Cray XK7, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, into second place.Finally, Heavy Metal pioneers Black Sabbath have set a new UK album chart record with their first Number One in nearly 43 years.The veteran band’s new album,'13', entered the Official UK Album Chart at the top spot, beating Beady Eye's 'Be' to the coveted No.1 position by just over 13,000 copies. The last time Black Sabbath were Number One in the UK was 42 years and eight months ago in October 1970, with their second album 'Paranoid'.The longest scream by a crowd without stopping lasted 60 seconds and was set by a crowd led by Sabbath’s lead singer Ozzy Osbourne at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California on 11 June 2010.

1925

Marina Mall Kuwait

1926

2004: Tallest Dog

In 31 August 2004, Gibson, a harlequin Great Dane from California, USA was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest living dog, measuring a towering 107 cm (42.2 in) tall on .

1927

Record Holder Profile Video: Takahiro Ikeda and the most BMX time machines in one minute

Takahiro Ikeda (Japan) holds three impressive bike riding Guinness World Records titles, including the Most BMX time machines in one minute.

1928

How Ridiculous: Australian team attempt 140-metre basketball shot

Australian television audiences will witness an astounding record attempt on Sunday evening, after a current affairs crew from the Seven Network program Sunday Night trailed some of our most outrageous, daring and amazing record holders – the boys from How Ridiculous.

1929

Video: Has this incredible truck jump landed a new record for daredevil Greg Godfrey?

Back in 2008, American Greg Godfrey appeared on the MTV show “Nitro Circus” to attempt the Longest ramp jump by a truck cab – successfully setting a Guinness World Records title with an amazing 15.39 m (50 ft 6 in) leap.

1930

NCAA shoots for Largest sports tournament bracket world record ahead of Men’s Final Four

With the NCAA tournament reaching its exciting final stages next week, a giant 16-story super-sized bracket is set to earn the tournament a prestigious title all of its own.

1931

WYMLW: Snails, Yo-Yos and a Faceful of Coconut…

Here we go again! Let’s take a look at some of the videos you might have missed last week…First of all, I lifted the bonnet on GWR HQ for another week to answer your questions. This time, I harass Tom on the Records Management Team to find out just how a record category is made…videoNext up, we’re back in the Slo-Mo Test Lab with Bing. In this episode, he meets yo-yo genius Simon Blount. Marvel at his slo-mo skills as he uses a yo-yo to flick a coin from Bing’s ear! Watch as Bing fails terribly at hiding how terrified he is!videoNow, if there’s ever a video that needs a ‘DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME’ warning on it, it’s this.Seriously. Don’t try this at home. Or in a grocery store. They’ll get really mad.videoLastly, Oli teamed up with our friends at BBC Earth Unplugged to try and break the record for sticking snails to his face.While I’m sure he tried very hard, and the snails are almost entirely at fault, he didn’t do that great...videoNever mind, Oli. Maybe next time…

1932

Video: Richard Noble looks back on the 30th anniversary of Thrust 2 land speed record

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Richard Noble OBE driving Thrust 2 to a then world record speed of 633.468 mph (1,019.47 kmh). When asked why he had done it, Noble at the time replied: “For Britain and for the hell of it.”It was the realisation of a childhood ambition sparked when six-year old Noble saw ‘Crusader’, the boat built for land speed legend John Cobb, moored on a Loch Ness quayside.Despite numerous technical and financial setbacks, freak floods, and a very public 180 mph (290 kmh) crash during the six years of the Thrust Project, Sir Richard and a small team of engineers and volunteers, ultimately overcame them all to set a record that would remain unbeaten for fourteen years. The 67-year-old now leads The BLOODHOUND SSC Project, a global education initiative which is focused on a 1,000 mph (1,609 kmh) land speed record planned for 2015.In the video below, Richard recounts what it felt like to drive into the history books on an incredible day, three decades ago.videoRelated Links Bloodhound SSC team successfully test 1,000mph land speed car’s rocketVideo: The 1,000mph Car, Inside Bloodhound SSCVideo: Bloodhound SSC - Meet The Record Breakers

An incredible, vertigo-inducing piece of art in Lyon city centre in France has set a new world record for largest anamorphic print.Created by artist François Abélanet as part of a product launch for truck manufacturer Renault Trucks last weekend, the print was made up of 25 separate pieces which had to be sewn together.Click image above to enlargeIn total, it took five months to create from design to realisation.With an aim to show trucks in city and country environments, the image depicts a scarily accurate aerial view of a city and a rural area, giving pedestrians a sense that they are walking on a glass bridge high over mountains, water, and skyscrapers.Describing his method, Abélanet, pictured far right above, explains that viewers visiting the work can see that "different creations will emerge without being able to see the trick. Because there is no trick: an anamorphosis is the result of very precise calculations. And also a bit of imagination."

1934

Mystery billionaire takes out historic $201 million life insurance policy

Offices of SG LLC Frances, rightGuinness World Records, the global authority on record breaking, today confirms a new record broken for the most valuable life insurance policy, valued at a total of $201 million (£121 million), on the life of a well-known U.S. billionaire. The record-breaking insurance policy was sold by Dovi Frances, Managing Partner of SG LLC, a company based in Santa Barbara, California, USA.The policy features a combined death benefit to be paid upon the death of the single insured that more than doubles the previous record, set by Peter Rosengard from the UK, whose record-breaking insurance sale in 1990 sold at $100 million (then £56 million) on the life of a U.S. entertainment industry figure.Frances, below, commented, “Bringing this transaction together required negotiating concurrently with over two dozen insurance companies and complex underwriting requests from each insurance company.”The well-known billionaire client who bought the single-life-insurance policy resides in the Silicon Valley area of California and is actively known in the technology space.When SG LLC began in 2010, they solicited new business by issuing a direct mail campaign, which the billionaire answered before subsequently becoming a client.

1935

X Factor star Alexandra Burke helps set new organ donor record

UK X Factor winner Alexandra Burke was on hand to back a worthy cause and help set a new world record in London's Covent Garden on Sunday.The singer played a surprise gig before joining TV presenter Jameela Jamil to host a successful record attempt for the most people to sign up as organ donors in one hour.Alexandra performed her hit songs Hallelujah and Perfect, before encouraging members of the crowd to add their names to the donor register.She was joined by young campaigners Hope Milne and Abby Thackray of the Battlefront organisation for the attempt which saw 321 sign-ups within 60 minutes.A group of young people who have all received organ transplants later each released a heart-shaped balloon into the air to mark the end of the attempt.The event had special resonance for Alexandra, whose own mother is currently awaiting a kidney transplant.Talking after the event, she said: "You never know, my mum could even find a kidney through this today, it's just an amazing thing these girls have done."To find out more about Battlefront campaigns, visit www.battlefront.co.uk

1936

Fastest time to fly a hot air balloon in all 50 US states

This record is for the fastest time to fly a hot air balloon in all 50 US states.This record is to be attempted by an individual.This record is measured in days, hours and minutes.

1937

Dreamworks Animation

1938

SPAR Spar Österreichische Warenhandels-AG

1939

Largest silver service blindfolded dinner

This record is for the most people attending to a silver service dinner while wearing a blindfold.The record is based on the number of people attending the dinner in one single venue.

1940

Fastest aggregate time to complete all six World Marathon Majors by a mascot

This record is for the fastest aggregate time to complete the Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo marathons while running in a mascot's uniform.The record's time will be the aggregate time of the six marathons: travel time between them is not included.

1941

Most motorcycles to run over a person

This record is for the most motorcycles to run over a person.This record is to be attempted by an individual.This record is measured in number of motorcycles.

1942

Highest altitude Virgin Mary statue

This record is based on the greatest altitude above sea level at which a statue is located.This record may be attempted by an individual or a group of unlimited size.This record is measured in metres and centimetres, with the equivalent imperial measurement also given in feet and inches.

1943

Most people jumping on beds (single venue)

This record is for most people to jump on beds simultaneously at a single venue.This record is to be attempted by a team of unlimited size. This record is based on the number of people jumping on beds.

1944

Largest Xiaopingguo dance

This record is for the greatest number of people simultaneously performing the same Xiaopingguo dance at a single venue.For the purpose of this record, Xiaopingguo dance is a dance featured in the music video Xiaopingguo, performed during the chorus of the song of the same name.

1945

Largest building in the shape of a lantern

This record is for the largest building in the shape of lantern.This record may be attempted by an individual or by a team of unlimited size.This record is measured in meters (given to 0.001 m), with the equivalent imperial measurement also to be given in feet and inches.

1946

Longest cooking marathon by a team of two

This record is for the longest time to continuously prepare and cook food items.This record is to be attempted by a team of two people.This record is measured in hours, minutes and seconds.

1947

Largest APE index

This record is for the largest APE index ratio.This record is to be attempted by an individual.This record is measured in a person's exact APE index ratio. For the purposes of this record, an APE index is defined as: a measure of the ratio of an individual's arm span relative to their height.

1948

Most barefoot marathons run on consecutive days (female)

This record is for the most consecutive days completing a marathon while barefoot without any days off.A marathon is 26 miles 385 yards / 42.195 km.This record is to be attempted by an individual female.This record is measured by the amount of marathons completed on consecutive days.

1949

Fastest marathon dressed as the Grim Reaper

This record is for the fastest time to complete a marathon course dressed as the Grim Reaper.This record is to be attempted by an individual.Marathon distance is 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).Measurement value: time - in hours, minutes and seconds to the nearest 100th of a second.

1950

Greatest distance rowed in 24 hours by a pair (male)

This record is for the greatest distance rowed in 24 hours by a pair.This record is to be attempted by two males. This record is measured in kilometres, with the equivalent imperial distance in miles and nautical miles also provided.